Decorating Frosting

A frosting that keeps its shape well for decorating cakes. It's a bit of a compromise among various attributes to work well for decorating, so I only use it when actually doing elaborate decorations.

  • 1 lb vegetable shortening
  • 1 1/2 tsp clear vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp artificial almond extract
  • 1/4 tsp butter flavour
  • 1/8 tsp orange extract
  • 1/8 tsp rose water
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 kg powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tbs meringue powder
  1. Cream the shortening at medium high speed (setting 6 on the stand mixer) for 10 minutes. It will become smooth and fluffy.
  2. Gently incorporate the flavourings and salt.
  3. Sift together the icing sugar and meringue powder. Add cup by cup to the shortening, incorporating fully at low speed before adding more.
  4. Add some of the water as needed while adding the sugar to maintain a texture that can be mixed. All the sugar and water should be added by the end.
  5. Beat slowly 5 minutes more. Mix together gently until evenly blended. Don't whip too fast as that will incorporate air bubbles.
This is a thick consistency for decorations. Add small amounts of water to thin some of the batch for spreading.

Storage Instructions

Store covered in the refrigerator 2 weeks, or in the freezer 3 months.